Privatization in Canadian Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Privatization in Canadian Health Care - Essay Example For the purposes of this essay, laws and policies applicable to Canadian health care will not be evaluated in detail. However, the Chaouilli case in Quebec will be acknowledged, so as to direct the focus of the essay toward to possibility of the developmental path for a privatized health care system in Canada. Issues concerning the wait line which may have been expressed on other occasions will be considered as well. Their role in the advancement of the privatization of health care in Canada will be further evaluated. The Canadian health care system, recently more unstable than in previous years, is witnessing a rise in the private sector. The proposed paper will consider the advantages and disadvantages to the implementation of private health care in Canada. Concrete comparisons between the advantages and the disadvantages between the Canadian publicly provided health care system and the United States' health care as a private sector institution would allow for more in-depth analysis of both qualities and drawbacks. Privatized health care in Canada could prove to be more efficient in providing health services; it could also prove to be a catalyst in taking out the middle class, while widening the gap between rich and poor. 2.0 The Development of the Canadian Health Care System The current Canadian health care system was developed as a response to the social conditions of the early 1950's in Canada and was established at provincial levels. At this time, only 53% of the population was privately insured. Further, health care costs amounted to "the primary cause of bankruptcy," in the country.(Dean, 2007) As a reaction to these social circumstances, the provincial government began to participate more actively. Canadian heath care, Medicare, was built by the provincial governments with the support of federal legislatures. First, Saskatchewan implemented a public health insurance plan for hospital stays in 1947; the federal government acknowledged this action by providing reimbursements to the then-growing number of provinces who covered hospital costs. (Dean, 2007) At this time, the federal government provided funding for a third of health care spending.(Dean, 2007) Further, the federal government introduced the Canada Health Act, which addressed the goals of t he health care policy as comprehensiveness, universality, accessibility, portability, and public administration. (Klatt, 2000) However, a shift in the perceptions regarding the health care system is slowly developing. It could be argued that the medical services which were provided by the health care system then, differ from those in demand now. It must be regarded that health care which was established in the mid-twentieth century was primary concerned with "acute care." (Robertson, 2002) Today, Canada is dominantly composed of an aging population, which means chronic illnesses are the focus with such demographics. (Robertson, 2002) Consistent with the demographics is the aging population of doctors which are exiting the field due to retirement. This only narrows down an already small availability of doctors